[My Work] How to Regulate the Autonomic Nervous System and Discovering the 'Motivation Brake' [Mental and Physical Health / HR Work]

How can we start working after a break feeling as pleasant as possible?

I read a news article about this.

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When it comes to these kinds of 'human feelings,' the 'autonomic nervous system' that you are all familiar with is often deeply involved. First of all,

to explain what the autonomic nervous system is,

(1) It is responsible for functions that 'maintain life,' such as breathing, digestion and absorption, and body temperature regulation.

And,

(2)-1 'Sympathetic nervous system': Blood vessels constrict, and the body enters a state of tension. (2)-2 'Parasympathetic nervous system': Blood vessels relax, blood circulation improves, and the body enters a state of relaxation.

There are these two.

Also, as I am sure you can easily imagine, when the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are working in a good balance, you can spend your day feeling pleasant.

In other words, it can be said that you are in the state of (2)-1 tension when working, and in the state of (2)-2 relaxation when resting.

Therefore, during long holidays such as the year-end and New Year holidays, Obon, or Golden Week, most people live in state (2) for a long time and deeply, so when they suddenly have to work, they cannot perform (1) well, which is why 'the period after a break is tough.'

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There are two possible countermeasures.

1. Create the state of (2)-1 as soon as possible after the break ends.

Since the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work as a set, activating the sympathetic nervous system will suppress the function of the parasympathetic nervous system accordingly.

Therefore, it is important to move both your mind and body.

Specifically,

by moving your body through exercise such as walking, and by taking in information related to your work, you can also put your mind into work mode

is a good approach.

I understand the feeling, but it is not good to continue lounging around at home after work, saying things like 'I just don't feel like it.'

2. Do not get too deeply immersed in the state of (2)-2.

If it is difficult to transition from a relaxed state to a tense state,

not maintaining a deep state of relaxation

is also one possible measure.

Specifically, this applies to thinking about or doing a little bit of work even on your days off for about 30 minutes to an hour.

By doing so, you are not in a state of complete relaxation, which makes it easier to respond when you return to work.

However, personally (as my own method of relaxation),

during long vacations, I recommend completely forgetting about work and just lazing around

so I would appreciate it if you could consider that point 2 depends on the individual.

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And, related to this news,

a research team including Kyoto University announced that they have elucidated the neural circuit in the brain that causes a state where one cannot easily start an unpleasant task.

I also read that news.

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Personally, I think this is a huge discovery.

There was a commercial for a certain cram school on TV that featured a 'motivation switch,' and while the content of the commercial was a parody, it turns out that such a switch actually exists within the body.

Specifically,

the neural pathway connecting the 'ventral striatum' and the 'ventral pallidum' deep in the brain acts as a 'motivation brake' against stressful tasks.

If this circuit becomes overactive, it can lead to a strong decline in spontaneous motivation, as seen in depression and schizophrenia.

So, we should just make this circuit work less! Problem solved!!

That, of course, is not how it works.

If its activity is too weak, the brake won't engage even in high-stress environments, which could conversely lead to 'burnout syndrome'.

As with everything, balance is key, isn't it?

Setting aside healthy individuals, it would be great if this could be adjusted effectively for those suffering from illnesses.

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